DbCID: 3978556

NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY, We.shington 25, D.C. November 1953 No. l .. 53

MEKllARDUM TO ALL NSA EMPLOlEES:

Cooperation is vital in our business. It is vital to our progress as a group, and to our individua1 peace of mind. Willingness of a group to work cooperatively toward job objectives spells the difference between job satisfaction and frustration. Yet cooperation is but a meaningless term unless provision is ma.de for the timely interchange and dissemination of ideas and information of policy significance, pa.rticuJ.a.rl;y as they affect BSA employees.

The Personnel Newsletter is merely one endeavor in the NsA family of communication media. It will provide NSA employees at all levels with official information of a personne·1 ntiture. I firmly believe that the Personnel Newsletter will be a welcome addition to the NSA cooperative effort, and I trust that all NSA employees will regard it in this manner. Make it a practice to consult it regularly for information concerning you and your position with NSA.

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@'pp roved for Release by NSA on 06-13-2012 pursuantto E .0. 1352a

DOC ID : 3978556 ~ This infornnt1on oull-n is

published as required to provide general information of interest to military and civilian personnel of the Agency.

NSAGRAMS

COLONE!, DUNCAN SINCLAIR, USA, was assigned Chief, Personne1 Div;t-· s:1.on on 12 October vice CAP.rAIN JAMES H. :F'ORTUNE, USN. Captain Fortune -was reassigned to PROD.

The first issue of the 11MOVEMEN'f NEWS" was distributed on 23 Octobel .. • Hereafter, it will be included in the NSA Personnel Hewsletter.

The NSA School. Indoctrination Course :for new em1iloyees has been revised and now includes more in­struction on security re~lations~ Critique sheets of new employee~ reveal many favorable corrmv~nts aboqt the new course.

Safety observers have been ap­pointed for all activities. They will make periodic inspections of areas assigned to report on safety hazards which might result in dam­age to property and injury to em­ployees.

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MILITARY. AFFAIRS

AIR FORCE OFFICER EFFECTIVENESS REPORT

Air Force Regulation, 36-10 bas established a new policy pertain­ine to effectiveness reports on Air Force Officers. · Effective immediately, the Effectiveness Report of en Air Force Officer will be signed by his inunediate supervisor regard.less of his branch or service. Civilians may also sj.gn this form a.s either rating or endorsing officers, as a.ppropriate •

Rating officers, other than Air Force, should know thoroughly Air

~ . NSA PERsormi:;L NEViSLETTER

Force standard~ avoid depriving -an officer a promotion by thinking in terms of Army or Navy standards.

Before rating an officer, obtain explicit instructions from the

. Military Personnel Branch, Ext. 6o496.

ENLISTED PERSONNEL

ABSENCE FROM DUTY NSA Form E-1779, "Absence t'rom

NSA Duty Permit f'or Enlisted Personnel, 11

will be used when enlisted personnel are required to attend to official busi­ness during duty hours.

Supervisors may use this form when an enlisted ma.n is ordered by his · Conunanding Officer to return to his company to attend to -pay matters and the like.

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MISCELLANEOUS

MILI'l'ARY PERSONNEL POLICY MANUAL This rnanue.l, published in May 1953,

provides guidance and instruction for all NSA supervisors who have the responsibility for supervising military :personnel. Supervisors of military personnel should be thoroughly acquainted with its contents. Questions about the policies and procedures contained in this manual will be answered by the Military Personnel Branch, Code 131, Ext. 6o496.

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SAFETY

APCIDENTS ARE EXPENSIVE. THEY COST: . YOU .

, YOUR ASSOCIATES YOUR FAMILY YOUR AGElTCY YOUR NATION

TO mEVENT THEM: THINK ABOUl' WHAT YOU ARE DOING WHILE YOU DO IT.

NOVEMBER 1953

;'

DOCID: 3978556

e NEW NSA CIVILIAN moMOTION POLICY •

As a part ot the continuin~ eftort to improve the civilia.n personnel program tor the Agency, a new promo­tion policy has been established and is now in effect. The policy provides for a firm career service and should aid in the :f\111 utilization of employee skills and abilities by providing maximum promotional opportunities.

Under the new policy, operating officials and supervisors at all levels are urged to fill their vacancies from within their operating areas if qual­ified applicants are available . It is a well-recognized fact that serious morale problems arise if the higher graded vacant positions are filled by "outsiders" when they could have been . filled by promotion from "within . "

The new policy provides for the establishment of a Civilian Promotion Review Board. This Board will review and approve all promotions to GS-13.

When no qualified a.pplicant is available for promotion to a vacancy in the FmST ~ OF CONSIDERATION-(a Division) applicants from the ~ECOND AREA OF CONSIDERATION (the remainder of of the Agency) will be considered. ·

A vacancy list of positions open for .Agency-wide competition is publish­ed every two weeks by the Civilian Personnel Branch. Employees should consult these vacancy lists which are posted on bulletin boards. Applica­tions for consideration should in­clude the following information: (1) Job number and title of vacant position, (2) Employee's name, organization, and telephone nwnber, (3) A statement ~o the effect that he has notified his supervisor of his interest in the vacancy.

Applications should reach the Civilian Personnel Branch, Head­quarters Bldg., Room A-110, AHS, or Bldg . , 17, Room 207, NSS, by the close of business on Thursday of the wzek in which the vacancy list w.s publlshed. All e.pplications will be

MSA PEHSO:l'mTEL ~?E;·JSLETTER - 3 -

carefully reviewed. Applicants are responsible tor having an up-to-date SFM57 on file tor review.

After all applications have been revie\<llild 1 the Civilian Personnel Branch will torwa.rd to operating otticial1 applications of those con­sidered eligible for promotion. Operating officials may request in­terviews with applicants. Selections ot operating officials are subject to review by the Personnel Division.

Only a~er all possible sources of applicants.within the Agency have been exhausted will the vacancy be opened to external recruitment.

Questions about this new promotion policy should be directed to personnel representatives of the Civilian Per­sonnel Branch assigned to various operating segments of the Agency.

If K KM K JIM K

ANNUAL AND SICK LEAVE ACT CHANGES Pending issuance of the revised

Civilian Personnel Regulation on leave, the following points are noted for your information: a. Maximum accwm.tlation of annual ~eave is reduced to 30 days for employ­ees within the United States and 45 days for employees serving oversea.a. b. Employees who have accumulations in excess of those permitted by a, above, will not be required to for­feit this annual leave • c. A prohibition is made against making lump-sum leave payments af'ter 31 August 1953 for more leave than the employee's maximum accumulation figure 30 and 45 days f'or employees in the United States and overseas respcctiv~­ly, or such greater a.mount as the employee had at the beginning of the current yea;r.

Scheduled use of annual leave sl-in• ·1.

be authorized or directed in such n:::'.n• ner as to cause the least disruption to essential functions and so ~s to ob­viate the necessity for overtime or re­placements.

NOVEMBER 1953

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DOC~m:.J.~78556 A · On 19 May 1953 al~mployees of

the National Security Agency were converted from Schedule B to Schedule tt·. Since there have been :many in­quiries from military and civilian personnel about Schedule A, the following typical questions and the answers are included here for the general inf'orma.tion of all Agency personnel.· Further questions on this subject ma3 be for-warded to the · Civilian Personnel Branch, Attention: Chief, Employee Relations Unit (Ext • 48o, ABS)

Q. What is the Excepted Service? A. The excepted service comprises all those positions Within the governmental system which have been excepted from the competitive service by st.a.tute, Executive order, or by Civil Service Rules and Regulations, and which are made without reference to certificate of eligibles from registers established for the com­petitive service. Those employed in such positions occupy "excepted appointments."

Q. Then, what is the competitive service? A. The competitive service comprises all those positions within the civil service system which are filled by competitive examinations. This re­quirement ma.y be waived by the USCSC during a state of emergency, but those who ma.y occupy positions with a temporary tenure, a.re required to be removed from their positions after an emergency, in order that their positions ma.y be filled by a civil service status (or,"career") employee.

Q. What is ·a "Schedule" under the Excepted Service? A. A Schedule is simply a means used by Civil Service Commission to categorize and identify positions in the excepted service.

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There are three such Schedules at the present time - Schedules A, B, and c.

Q. What Schedule is employed in NSA? A. Schedule A.

Q. 'Why was Schedule A secured and authorized by the Civil Service Com­mission for positions in NSA? A. To increase the significance of agency experience and training in the evaluation of q~ifications.

Q. What is the basic difference be­tween Schedule B and Schedule A? A. The Civi1 Service Commission exercises review authority over the minimum qualifications standards which are established to quality individuals for appointment (and promotion) to positions under Schedule B. The Civil Service Commission exercises no review authority over the qualification standards established and the qualifi­cations of individuals for positions under Schedule A.

Q. Who, then is the qualifying auth­ority? A. The Director, NSA, who bas dele­gated this authority to the Civilian Personnel Ot'f icer and to certain members ot the latter's staff.

Q. I have heard it said that those occupying an excepted position are "outside the civil service system." Is this correct? A. No. An individual occupying an excepted position is within the civil service system, but is "outsid.e" the regu1ar civil service competitive service.

Q. Does this mean that all of the basic laws, such as the Veterans Pre­fe1·ence Act, Retirement Act, Pay

NOVEMBER, 1953

DOCID': 3978556

Act, Classification Act, et cetera, r~~,i~'L:.i.n effective in occupying a :~chcd.ule A appointment with :NSA? A. That is correct! Schedule A merely affects the method which is employed in effecting the appoint­m·mt (rromotion, reassignment) of individuals.

Q. I notlce tlmt my "Official Per­sonnel Action" {SF-50), W1der item, "Mature of Action" reads: "Excepted. Appointment" with each new personnel action effected for "Promotion," and i11 aome cases rea.ssignment. Does this m::!s.n thn.t my job with NSA is temporary? A. ~mployecs of NSA do not occupy "temporary" positions. With each new personnel action issued, the incmnbent of the position occupies such posit:i.on "without time limitation." Accordingly, tho:~ position :i.s permanent in so far as NSA is concerned.

Q. I occupied a position in the com­petitive civil service system and some­time during my employni2nt was converted to competitive civil service status. I later resigned my position and accept­ed a position with NSA, without a break in service. Does this give me any pro­tection rights in the event of an ad.verse action'/ A. One ,m,o has acquired a competitive ciYil service status in the competitive c:l.vil service has protection rights to adverse actions in the competitive service only, Howver, he does not have any protection rights when occupy­ing a position under Schedule A, unless the employee is a veteran. A veteran mu.st be accorded the rights of protect­ion to ad.verse actions as prescribed by the Veteran's Preference Act.

Q. How does the granting of Schedule A authority affect the classifying of positions? A. None whatsoever! The classification of ~ositions is governe4 by the Classifi­ca.t:ion Act of 191•9.

NSA PERSONNEL NEWSLETI'ER - 5 -

HEAT-.Al'ID 1-!ELFfillE

WA'l'CH YOUH HEALTH DurinG 1:.hc fall and ldnter months

there :I. s al wo.ys a noticeable increase of illness resulting in a great amount of absenteeism. Such illness frequent­ly results in personal expenses for medical care as well as inconvenience to yourself and to fellow employees whose efficiency is interru:pted by a break in your normal routine.

It follows then that you help your­self as well as the ·Agency when you take extra precautions to guard your health.

INSURANCE: All employees are encourag­ed to participate in some hospital­ization plan which will provide medical services and financial assistance which may be needed in case of prolonged ill­ness or serious accident. A large number of NSA employees are now par­ticipating in the Group Hospitalization, Inc . , plan. Information about this plan and others providing more benefits may be obtained from the Employee Relations Unit (Ext. 379)

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SUPERVISORY STRATEGY

*No man can serve two masters. * Orientation of employees never stops. * High morale--his,h production. * Learn to like people. * I will pay more for the ability to

handle people than.for any other ability that man has.

--John D. Rockefeller *Einstein's formula. for SUCCESS:

S.AfBiC A is WORK. B is PLAY. C is the ABILITY TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. * It pays to look wll; it may ra.ee.n

a promotion. * You pa.id for the government property

you band.le; take care of it accord­ingly.

* Few words uttered mean few wor!Is to take back.

*Leadership is not "drivership."

N.ovomber 1953

DOCID: 3978556

·WHOLE BLOOD STILl. NEEDED Summer and fall vacation periods

are over. Many of us are quite refreshed from stays in the country, at the seashore, or in -Che mountains. Some of us enjoyed our vacation even though we had to remain at home or on the job.

But there were some who spent weeks in the hospital or •mo ha.d friends faced with disaster and trae;ed.y in some parts of t.he world. The paralyzina impact of tornadoes in many ot' our horne states, and the stories told by our prisoners of war released from many months of :i.mprison­ment, has vividly brought to us the need for blood. As long as one shot is fired, one airplane is in the air, one tra.in is in o:peration, and one careless driver is on the highway, blood donors will be needed.

The need for "Whole blood for military and c:i.vilian hosyita.ls con­tinues to be great. Do you lmow tha.t there is absolutely no substi• tute for whole blood? Plasma and plasma substitutes are only volume extenders for use until a person can be given further care. Plasma sub­stitutes are the least effective since they contain no nutritional value wha.tsoever.

It is interesting to know that 11erum albumin, the concentrated ··Shock fie;hter, is used in large quantity by our armed forces. It is packed in lOOcc bottles, needs no refrigeration, but it takes tour pints of whole blood (500cc's each) to me.ke one vial of lOOcc's of serum albumin. This powerful blood t'rac­'tion ha.s saved many lives and will continue to do so if the whole blood is available from which to process it.

Gamma globulin, a blood derivative, is also obtainable in small quantities. It takes one pint of whole blood to produce one dose of gg for a small child. &ere again, there is no substitute.

NBA PERSONNEL NEi£LETTER - 6 -

~he military and civilian per­sonnel of both NSA and ASA ha.ve ma.de large contributions to the blood bank during the summer months.

After deducting those, who, be­cause or their medical history or pre­liminary tests, -were unable to give their blood, the personnel of NSS gave a total of 174 pints. At AHS 485 pints were collected, and at NSA School 475 pints -were contributed. The Navy Medical Center, and the Arlington Red Cross Chapter furnished the personnel and facilities for the collectio11 of this blood.

During this period several of our employees and members of their innnediate families, who were in need of blood, received it through the Red Cross in hospitals of several cities.

In October 252 military and civilian personnel of NSA gave blood.

What was the date of your la.st donation? Make an appointment now! Call extensions 654 or 379 at AHS; at NSS, 60458; at School, 60178.

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NSA CREED OF SERVICE

We as members of the National Security Agency accept our obliga­tions and our opportunity to serve the American people well and in full measure, doing our best to further the free and democratic institutions of our country.

We believe it is our duty to: carry out loyally the will of the people as expressed in our laws, service the public with fairness, courtesy, integrity, and understand­ing, help improve the effi~iency, economy, and effectiveness of our -work ••• and thus do our pa.rt in performing the great services of the ~nt.

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NOVEMBER, 1953

DOCirl: 3978556

~UESTIONS AND ANSto/ERS This is the first of' a series. of"

articles .on this important subject. · To simplify the explanation of it, articles Will be presented in ques­tion and answer fonn. . It' the answrs . given here do not give you the

· specific information you need, don't hesitate to call the Civilian Person­nel Branch (Ext. 48o) for further de­tails. Your specific questions will; no doubt, be or general interest and. can be included in future articles.

Next to SECURITY and RECOGNITIOB, PAY is an incentive detennining BOW WELL an employee will perfonn his duties. For morale purposes, even more · important than actual pay re­ceived is how the Department of Defense policy of "equal pay treat­ment for equal work" is being fol­lowed. This series of articles will explain how this policy is carried out in NSA.

Q. 'What is Position Classification? A. It is the grouping of positions according to the kind of work, the level of difficulty, and the respon­sibility and qualifications required.

Q. 'What is the framework f"or Position Classification? A. The "Ciassif'ication Act of' 1949·"

Q. Who is responsible for making it work? · A. a. The U.S.Civil Service Com­mission writes the rules and regula­tions and prepares standards to be used. The BSA uses the CSC standards whicb are applicable to jobs in this Agenc·y It has authority to prepare standards for specialized positions tor which there a.re no .CBC standards. b. The Director of' NSA is responsible ror classitication policies s.nd their

· application w:l. thin this .Agency. .· c • . The Personnel Division is responsi­ble tor me.king studies .of .work assigD­ments and the application ot stand­ards ·to a.rr.i ve at correct ti tlea and

IBA. PERSONNEL NEWSLETTER - 1·-

grades for positions. d.. The supervisor determines and assigns tasks and duties. e. The employee is responsible for the effective and efficient :Performance. of assigned duties •

Q. In evaluating positions (assip• 1ng grades) ~Y isn't everything .. . taken into consideration which appears i;o have a be~ing on how rmtch an . . · employee shOuld be·paid? · A. The evaiuation of a position is be.sed on aritual work assigned.. • · factors n9t considered are: (1) the employee 'is efficiency; (2) qualiti.­cations posse.ssed and not required for a ~citic Job1 (3) personality, (4) financial need, (5) length of service, and the like .

Q. If a supervisor delegates some ot his responsibilities to subor­dinates, will that result in a reduction of his grade? A. No. This will not weaken his position. A good supervisor · is expected to delegate s~ of his responsibility "down the line.·:

Q. How can I properly describe UJ¥ work when I don t t know the "magic · words" the Position Classifie~ uses? A. Simple :factual statements are a.11 that are required. The defi­nitions found in a recognized dic­tionary mean the same thing to a classifier as they do to a super­visor. The supervisor and the · classifier Jointly agree Upon def­initions and. terminology used in position descriptions._·

KMKKUICll

i,OMCY.mG HIGH MCllALE · Let each employee mow.how he is getting along.

*Point out ways to improve ~ . . lc1 ve credit when due. · I -Tell 8lll,Ployeea in advance about

changes that will affect them. *Make the best use ot each man's ability.

BOVEMBER 1953

DOCID: 3978556 -MOVEMENT NE'w'S e

'!he rash of rumors rampant in NSA about the Meade move can now be sup• pressed. We are moving-so PROD employees think after seeing, at the new site, the barracks buildings (not the G.I. wood type, but concrete--no more sagging floors\), now 30% com­pleted and due for occupancy by Sep­tember, 19.54.

Since 1 September, a representative of the Civilian Personnel Branch has been amassing facts of every sort that will assist everyone in making plans for the move. The fact-finding job isn•t finished and won• t be for some time. As the information is gathered, it will be reviewed and presented on a continuing basis in the "Newsletter." It should be clear:cy- understood that all information is relatively current and that varying circumstances will result in changes, for example, in housing costs, tax rates, plans for ~ew roads, schools, and the like. Utmost effort will be made to reoort changes as they occur. HOUSING . . or primary interest to everyone is the housing situation. 1b.e picture seems to grow brighter every day, and there is good reason for considerable optimism. Surveys are not completed, but some en­couraging :tnformation is now available.

1he building of FORD CITY, to accom­modate a population of · $6,tmO has been announced. The city, to be built along the new Baltimore-l-:9.shington Parkway between Iaurel, Maryland, and Fort Meade, will be completely self-sustaining, it is re!)orted, and will be within three to five minutes driving time from the new Agency headquarters.

The WHERRY HOUSING PROJECT for NSA persom1ei is s'Ei!'I in the discussion stage---more about this later.

At FORT MEADE-POST a limited rnunber of quarters for single persons, male and female, will be available.

HOUSING DEVELOPMEN'.l'S are mushrooming all around £lie MeaCie area. More than twei Ve are under construction or have been completed within a 20 mile radius of the new NSA site. Homes are now for sale ranging in price from $5',000 for the two

" . bedroompreci~ built, $11,ooo for three bed-room asbe~~, to $20,000 or more for larger brick homes. IF YOU PLAN 'ID BUY •

Employees contemplating the purchase of a home in Maryland at some future time should become thoroughly famil:i,aJ. .. with tax rates (which vary greatly among counties in M:Lryland), the ground rent plan and a host of other important items in-rolv­ing the purchase of ·a home. Be wise, plan carefully, and d.On• t act too hastily. It is suggested that the prospective homa­buyer study the excellent pamphlet, "TO '.lHE HOME-BUYING VETERAN." ntls can be obtained free by writing to tl1.e VET.BRAN'S ADMINISTRATION, Washington 251 D. C •.

Maryland tax rates, the ground rent plan, lists of apartments in the Meade area, lists or real estate brokers, maps, and other housing infonnation will be included in future issues of the "News­letter." EXHIBITS

Large scale maps of the Meade area will be posted in strategic locations at AHS, NSS, and the NSA School. The maps will show the locations of schools, churches, roads, housing developments, shopping centers, and other things of interest within a radius of al>1)roxinately .50 miles of the new NSA site. On display with the maps will be a variety of reference materials such as booklets and pamphlets on tax laws, scliools, churches, roads, housing developments, recreational facili­ties, and literature on apartments. TRTPS ID FORT :MEADE

On 30 bet.Ober and .5 November, groups or POOD employees were taken on guided tours of the new building site and the main post of Fort Meade. After seeing the chain and rodmen at work surveying the new headquarters building site, the 30% completed barracks, and I!articipation in a question arid answer session, aJJ. . skepticism about the move vanished. · Several more trips are planned for key persormel who can bring back to their employees vital information about the move.

BUY DEFENSE BONDS

NSA PERSONNEL NEWSLETTER - 8 - NOVEMBER, 1953